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Report - - Rosedale ROC Post - Rosedale - August 2014 | ROC Posts | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Rosedale ROC Post - Rosedale - August 2014

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The Lone Ranger

Safety is paramount!
Staff member
Moderator
Rosedale ROC Post – Rosedale

History

Over 1,500 of these small bunkers were built at various points around the country during the Cold War. They were designed to house three members of the Royal Observer Corps, whose job it would be to use supplied equipment to gauge the bomb power and ground zero of a nuclear blast and report back to a group H.Q. The posts were built to a similar design, with a single monitoring room 15ft below ground, which was accessed by a ladder with a hatch on the surface.

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Internally, the furniture, bunk beds, communications and monitoring equipment remained standard. The posts began closing in the late 1960s with the last few remaining operational until 1992. Many of the posts have now been destroyed or are in poor condition due to vandalism, most of the remaining ones are on the edges of fields or areas of unused scrub land at the side of roads or foot paths. Fortunately, some people have begun recognising the importance of these pieces of history and some posts have been painstakingly restored.

Rosedale ROC Post opened in February 1962 and closed in October 1968.

My Visit

Not really a Sunday stroll, more of a Saturday saunter. Was staying local to the area we were searching for a suitable watering hole and just happened to pass the unmistakable vents of the ROC Post. It would have been rude not to stop and have a look.

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First impressions were that the access hatch was welded shut, but a quick tweak with the car key lifted the hatch only to find it flooded to 5ft of the top.

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As I didn’t have my wellies that’s as far as I got, know it’s a poor excuse but it was time for some ‘froth on the tash’.

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Close by was the Bank Top Ironstone kilns, from 1855 until 1926 Rosedale rang with the sound of the Victorian industrial age. The valley was transformed with the opening of the ironstone mines, not least by the building of giant roasting kilns, where the miners roasted (or 'calcined') the iron ore to reduce its weight for transportation and remove impurities. Vast quantities of ore were tipped into the kilns from the railway line above, mixed with coal and then set alight.

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Although pleasant enough for a saunter around, that’s about all there was, I’m sure if you went further afield you could find some more abandoned buildings, remains of the railway line or possibly some ironstone mines.

Heading back to the car we passed a few grouse getting ready for the glorious 12th, probably not that glorious for them!

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Well that’s Rosedale ROC Post, time for a well-earned safety pint :brew.

Cheers,

TLR.
 

The Lone Ranger

Safety is paramount!
Staff member
Moderator
Cheers Ric UE,

Not the most epic Sunday stroll, but there seemed to be a bit of confusion whether this ROC post was still welded shut or not, pretty irrelevant either way as you would have to be Jacques Cousteau to explore it now ;)
 

Ordnance

Stay Safe
Staff member
Moderator
As I didn’t have my wellies that’s as far as I got, know it’s a poor excuse but it was time for some ‘froth on the tash’

Wellies? Like The Lone Ranger says you would need scrubber gear on this one LoL or a pump and a day or two to spare!
 

Bertie Bollockbrains

There is no pain
Regular User
Does anyone know any flooded ROC posts in the Wiltshire, Dorset, Bristol or Gloucestershire area? I've just had an idea to scuba dive one with my underwater camera. Could be interesting. Not aware of any underwater posts ever appearing on 28DL.

Thanks
 

slayaaaa

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Does anyone know any flooded ROC posts in the Wiltshire, Dorset, Bristol or Gloucestershire area? I've just had an idea to scuba dive one with my underwater camera. Could be interesting. Not aware of any underwater posts ever appearing on 28DL.

Thanks

That is awesome and would love to see that? Will take a look for you mate haha.
 

Bertie Bollockbrains

There is no pain
Regular User
Onto a philosophical debate now but I've done lots of underwater wrecks (including planes, cars, trucks, submarines and an aircraft carrier). Do they count as an urban explore? Not all of them were done with permission and some were self-found with lots of research. I do remember one of those trucks being a cattle truck with lots of bovine skeletons trapped inside :sad.

There's a flooded quarry in Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire I did many a time many years ago that had flooded tunnels with plenty of mining equipment left in. As I was working at the only local Dive Centre in the area at the time as an instructor I know that nobody ever dived there and that the National Trust really didn't want people diving there. Look in the Mines and Quarries forum right now and the top posting is a dive site which I know and I have already added my input to that posting.

I'm busy researching for a completely flooded ROC post. Would be doable for a few more weeks before winter really sets in.
 

The Lone Ranger

Safety is paramount!
Staff member
Moderator
Wreck dives are explores I'd say, some stunning stuff underwater to be seen.

Just a fair weather diver then if winter puts you off ;) Not sure how much you'd see in a flooded ROC post as it would probably silt up quickly and a few potential snags while down there, but maximum depth would only be 5 meters. I would be an interesting explore though.
 

Bertie Bollockbrains

There is no pain
Regular User
Wreck dives are explores I'd say, some stunning stuff underwater to be seen.

Just a fair weather diver then if winter puts you off ;) Not sure how much you'd see in a flooded ROC post as it would probably silt up quickly and a few potential snags while down there, but maximum depth would only be 5 meters. I would be an interesting explore though.


Used to work as a commercial diver and instruct sports diving - this dive would be well within my ability and of course it would be roped dive with surface support. It's the potential polluted water that concerns me most on this project but then I've done much worst when I used to get paid for it. Just thinking that a flooded ROC likely to have the most artifacts in as there doesn't seem to be many non-stripped posts left anymore.

Still researching for my target. Many thanks to the OP of this post for planting the idea in my head.
 

The Lone Ranger

Safety is paramount!
Staff member
Moderator
I work with a few ex-commercial divers and have a fair few mates who dive recreationally so have a good idea of some of the issues, lad I work with would be down one in a shot if he had the chance so see what the appeal would be :)

Hope you find one :thumb
 
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